The whiff rate breaks down just as you expect for these four pitchers, too. Morrow (11.8%), Romero (10.2%), Cecil (9.2%), and Villanueva (6.9%). League average is 8.5%. Carlos Villanueva, your pumpkinhood awaits.

I almos feel dirty saying it, but with the current 25-man roster, it really makes more sense to have Litsch starting and Villanueva in the bullpen. I also wouldn't mind seeing what Mills can do if given a rotation spot for the rest of the season (assuming he doesn't COMPLETELY blow it).

Carlos V right now is reminding me of the Summer of Tallet experiment a couple years back - Tallet performed admirably in his first handful of starts after being converted from the bullpen, then looked awful as the team kept him in the rotation far longer than it should have. Hopefully they'll be smarter this time around.

I actually really like Litsch out of the pen, and I feel like it's in AA's high ceiling philosophy to try to shoot higher for the #4/5 starters. There's no harm, anyway, because you can always slide Litsch in there in a pinch.